Food and drink · County · Texas
Sit-down restaurants in Houston County, TX
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for sit-down restaurants in Houston County, TX, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 37 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,782 of 2,405 scored counties
#107 of 162 scored counties in Texas
- Listings
- 49
- 12 chain locations (24%)
- Official establishments
- 11
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $26.4M
- On food away from home · $3,312 a household
- Spending per listing
- $540K
- 19% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 61.4
- In line with the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 22,316
- +1.1% since 2020
See the sit-down restaurants around any address in Houston County
The site report maps the sit-down restaurants on map listings near the address, by name and distance, and sizes the households and spending around it. Or open the report at the center of Houston County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardSurvey estimates 2020–2024 · population estimates 2025 · official business counts 2023 · map listings September 2026 · Data credits · How we measure
What this means
Map listings as of September 2026 show 49 sit-down restaurants in Houston County. Of those, 12 are chain locations, or 24%, against 29% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 61.4, in line with the U.S. rate of 61.3.
Household spending on food away from home in Houston County comes to about $26.4M a year: $3,312 per household, 19% below the U.S. average. Spread across 49 sit-down restaurants, that is $540K per restaurant, 19% below the U.S. figure of $664K. That spending covers all food away from home, which sit-down restaurants share with other businesses in the trade.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in Houston County was 11 in 2023. That is one for every 726 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. Another 4 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $99K has gone to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in Houston County.
Population estimates show Houston County grew 1.1% from 2020 to 2025, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for sit-down restaurants in Houston County is 37 (lower middle), #1,782 of 2,405 scored counties and #107 of 162 scored counties in Texas.
How Houston County compares
The same measures for Texas and the whole U.S. Spending per listing divides a year of household spending on all food away from home by the sit-down restaurants counted, so it measures the demand for each competitor, not any business’s revenue. Households per establishment does the same with the official count.
| Measure | Houston County | Texas | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 61.4 | 69.0 | 61.3 |
| Spending per listing | $540K | $575K | $664K |
| Households per official establishment | 726 | 528 | 500 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +9.9% | +1.5% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +1.1% | +8.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,312 | $3,970 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $56,531 | $78,476 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 37 | 46 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 14 → 11
- Employees, 2023
- 84
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $1.4M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 4Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 4912 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 40The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $99K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in Houston County, through June 2026, placed by the borrower’s ZIP code. Official establishments are businesses with payroll; the official counts leave out places with fewer than 3.
Population and households in Houston County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 22,316+1.1% since 2020
- Households
- 7,983
- Median age
- 44.5
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 71%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 1,231 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 18
- Median household income
- $56,531+49.1% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $77,793
- Median home value
- $164,900
- Jobs located here
- 5,116
- Daytime population
- 19,245Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Houston County?
These figures cover the whole county. A site report draws rings around one address and counts what’s inside them: households, spending, jobs, and the sit-down restaurants on map listings by name and distance.
Or open the report at the center of Houston County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardSit-down restaurants across Texas
Every Texas market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Texas for sit-down restaurants, numbered among those based in Texas, with Houston County marked.
Top counties in Texas
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Guadalupe County, TX | 88 | 263 | 40.2 | $1M | +15.8% | #44 of 2,405 |
| 2Wilson County, TX | 86 | 79 | 43.4 | $975K | +12.2% | #58 of 2,405 |
| 3San Jacinto County, TX | 83 | 26 | 23.9 | $1.4M | +7.1% | #82 of 2,405 |
| 4Johnson County, TX | 83 | 300 | 45.8 | $878K | +20.5% | #89 of 2,405 |
| 5Parker County, TX | 82 | 274 | 48.5 | $938K | +23.5% | #98 of 2,405 |
| 6Clay County, TX | 81 | 16 | 37.3 | $1M | +5.0% | #116 of 2,405 |
| 7Randall County, TX | 81 | 227 | 40.0 | $993K | +7.9% | #118 of 2,405 |
| 8Wise County, TX | 80 | 128 | 50.9 | $828K | +21.5% | #132 of 2,405 |
| 9Kaufman County, TX | 79 | 266 | 52.2 | $788K | +42.2% | #154 of 2,405 |
| 10Hardin County, TX | 78 | 92 | 41.4 | $926K | +4.2% | #175 of 2,405 |
| 107Houston County, TX | 37 | 49 | 61.4 | $540K | +1.1% | #1,782 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Houston County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes34
- Sit-down restaurants37
- Fast food and sandwich shops40
- Pizza
- Coffee shops and cafes25
- Bakeries and dessert shops31
Groceries and convenience
Auto
Beauty and personal care
Fitness and classes
Health care
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many sit-down restaurants are in Houston County, TX?
There are 49 sit-down restaurants on map listings in Houston County as of September 2026. 12 of them (24%) are chain locations. The listings count restaurants of every cuisine, pizza included. Official counts show 11 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in 2023. Official counts list 4 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Houston County, TX spend on food away from home?
About $26.4M a year, or $3,312 per household. That is 19% below the U.S. average (an index of 81, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 49 sit-down restaurants on map listings, it comes to $540K per restaurant. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only sit-down restaurants. It is estimated from the incomes of the 7,983 households in Houston County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Houston County, TX compare with the U.S. for sit-down restaurants?
Houston County has 61.4 sit-down restaurants per 10,000 households, in line with the U.S. rate of 61.3. Spending per restaurant is $540K, 19% below the U.S. figure of $664K. At the national ratio of sit-down restaurants to household spending, Houston County would have about 40, against 49 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 726 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S.
How fast is Houston County, TX growing?
Population estimates put Houston County at 22,316 people in 2025, up 1.1% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 7,983 households. The median household income in Houston County is $56,531 a year, 30% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 49.1% from the 2015–2019 survey, before inflation.
What is the Groundwork market score?
The Groundwork market score runs from 0 to 100 and compares a market with others of its kind for one business type: states with states, metro areas with metro areas, small-town markets and counties with their own. It weighs household spending per competitor (35%), households per business with payroll (25%), population growth (20%) and spending power (20%), each ranked against those peers. A higher score means that, taken together, the market has more household spending and more households for each business already there, faster population growth and more spending per household than similar markets. It describes a market, not any one site or deal. Houston County scores 37 for sit-down restaurants (lower middle), #1,782 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Houston County. It maps the sit-down restaurants on map listings near the site and sizes the households and spending within the distance you choose. New accounts get 10 actions over 3 days, no card.
How the score works · Top markets for sit-down restaurants · All 56 business types in Houston County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Houston County?
A site report maps the competitors on map listings near an address and sizes the households and spending around it.
The button opens the report at the center of Houston County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.
Figures are estimates for research only. Not investment or real estate advice.